Department of Health and Social Care<p>For the financial year 2017/18, the lowest hourly rate paid to staff employed in the Department’s offices in London and the United Kingdom was:</p><p> </p><p>Inner London £11.61</p><p>Outer London £10.64</p><p>National: £9.41</p><p> </p><p>This compares to the following current hourly Living Wage Foundation rates of:</p><p> </p><p>London Living wage £10.20</p><p>UK Living Wage £8.75</p><p> </p><p>For short term temporary staff, previously engaged via Brook Street Employment Agency the lowest hourly rate paid in the period in question was:</p><p> </p><p>Inner London £9.93</p><p>National £9.62</p>Biography information for Caroline DinenageGosportCaroline Dinenage2018-09-11false2018-09-11T13:50:41.383Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-09-06Department of Health and Social Care: Living Wage1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of Monday 16 July 2018 to Question 162604 on Department of Health & Social Care: Living Wage, what the lowest hourly wage was paid to staff and agency workers in his Department's offices in (a) London and (b) the UK.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse171489Department of Health and Social Care<p>The Department pays above the Living Wage (as defined by the Living Wage Foundation) to directly employed members of staff and agency staff that are also sourced via the Crown Commercial Services Framework Contingent Labour One (CL1).</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not have plans to become accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.</p>Biography information for Caroline DinenageGosportCaroline Dinenage2018-07-16false2018-07-16T11:30:37.287Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-07-10Department of Health and Social Care: Living Wage1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans for his Department to become accredited by the National Living Wage Foundation.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse162604Department of Health and Social Care<p>The Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Government body responsible for the safety and licensing of medicines in the United Kingdom, is not aware of any legal loopholes for the supply of human unlicensed medicinal products.</p><p> </p><p>Before a human medicine can be marketed or sold in the UK, a number of licences are required. The product itself must have a licence called a ‘marketing authorisation’ unless an exemption applies.</p><p> </p><p>UK medicines legislation contains a provision for the supply of an unlicensed medicine (commonly known as ‘specials’) which is provided for by way of an exemption from the requirement for a marketing authorisation. In the interests of public health this exemption is narrowly drawn because these products, unlike products holding a marketing authorisation, will not have been assessed and approved against the criteria of safety, quality and efficacy in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Unlicensed medicines can be manufactured in the UK under European Union good manufacturing practice or imported into the UK by the holder of an appropriate licence issued by the MHRA.</p><p> </p><p>Notifications prior to importation of unlicensed medicines are required and are assessed by the MHRA and objections may be raised where there are prohibitive safety or quality concerns. Any person that sells or supplies an unlicensed medicine is required to keep records and report suspected adverse drug reactions.</p>Biography information for Jackie Doyle-PriceThurrockJackie Doyle-Price2018-07-06false2018-07-06T12:28:35.367Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-07-03Drugs: Licensing1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will close the legal loopholes to make the market for unlicensed medicinal products less restricted.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse160334Department of Health and Social Care<p>Responding to suicide and self-harm in children and young people is a key priority in the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The Department works with a range of stakeholders on suicide prevention, including voluntary and charitable sector organisations, through the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group. The Department welcomes the opportunity to work with any organisation, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), on suicide prevention issues.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, the Government supports the NSPCC through an £8 million grant over four years (up to 2020), as a contribution to funding both ChildLine and the NSPCC’s National Helpline (for anyone with concerns or worries about a child).</p>Biography information for Jackie Doyle-PriceThurrockJackie Doyle-Price2018-07-02false2018-07-02T14:06:27.167Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-06-26Mental Health: Children1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to work with NSPCC to reduce the rate of children experiencing suicidal thoughts.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse157837Department of Health and Social Care<p>The Government recognises the pressure that sleep-in backpay liabilities are placing on social care providers and is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector.</p><p>The Government has been working closely with representatives of the social care sector in order to ensure that we have a clear understanding of any impact the sector may face.</p><p>Any intervention to support the sector would need to be proportionate and necessary.</p><p> </p>Biography information for Caroline DinenageGosportCaroline Dinenage2018-05-11141873false2018-05-11T10:35:57.933Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-05-08Social Services: Pay1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on local social care providers who are unable to fund historic back-pay liabilities for sleep-in shifts.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse141872Department of Health and Social Care<p>The Government recognises the pressure that sleep-in backpay liabilities are placing on social care providers and is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector.</p><p>The Government has been working closely with representatives of the social care sector in order to ensure that we have a clear understanding of any impact the sector may face.</p><p>Any intervention to support the sector would need to be proportionate and necessary.</p><p> </p>Biography information for Caroline DinenageGosportCaroline Dinenage2018-05-11141872false2018-05-11T10:35:57.98Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-05-08Social Services: Pay1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a fund to pay the historic back pay for sleep-in shifts directly to care workers.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse141873Department of Health and Social Care<p>NHS England is responsible for commissioning the primary care National Health Service sight testing service. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning secondary care ophthalmic services. CCGs are also able to commission eye care services in the community which go beyond the standard NHS sight test, where they judge them to be needed in their areas.</p><p> </p><p>CCGs are required, for all services they commission, to assess the health needs of their local population and are held locally to account to the population they serve through the health and wellbeing boards. In taking any decision about the health of the local population, the CCG has to ensure that services meet the needs of the local population.</p>Biography information for Steve BrineWinchesterSteve Brine2018-05-16false2018-05-16T11:33:49.953Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-05-08Ophthalmic Services1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to meet demand for ophthalmology treatment in hospitals.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse141874Department of Health and Social Care<p>The U=U campaign is one component of HIV Prevention England activities undertaken on behalf of Public Health England (PHE). PHE funds HIV Prevention England, a consortium led by the Terrence Higgins Trust, to undertake national HIV prevention campaigns which aim to promote a variety of prevention approaches including combatting HIV stigma and discrimination, increasing condom use and access to HIV testing and raising awareness of treatment options that prevent either acquisition or transmission of infection.</p>Biography information for Steve BrineWinchesterSteve Brine2018-05-11false2018-05-11T10:32:45.97Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-05-08HIV Infection1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to promote the U=U campaign to reduce self-stigma of people who have HIV.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse141875Department of Health and Social Care<p>The Department and Health Education England (HEE) are currently working together to develop a consistent and transparent payment mechanism for placements in primary care settings.</p><p> </p><p>Further information around the proposed funding arrangements for 2018-19 will be confirmed in March 2018 as part of the HEE budget setting process.</p>Biography information for Steve BrineWinchesterSteve Brine2018-02-07false2018-02-07T16:46:34.573Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-01-31General Practitioners: Training1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to ensure that General Practitioners who host medical students on placements receive adequate funding for doing so.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse125856Department of Health and Social Care<p>Veterinarians play a vital role in safeguarding United Kingdom public health, maintaining animal health and welfare and enabling trade. We value their work, and we want to ensure that they can continue to make an important contribution. Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and officials at the Food Standards Agency have been talking to representatives of the profession to ensure that those who do such an essential job continue to feel valued and to play the important role they do in assuring the public of the very high standards of food hygiene.</p><p> </p><p>The Food Standards Agency are working on a number of contingencies to ensure that we maintain the excellent standards of food safety that the UK currently enjoys, and maintain an effective workforce.</p>Biography information for Steve BrineWinchesterSteve Brine2018-01-23false2018-01-23T14:07:02.853Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2018-01-15Veterinary Medicine: Migrant Workers1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that slaughterhouse vets who are non-UK EU citizens can continue to work here after the UK leaves the EU.falseBiography information for Wera HobhouseBathWera Hobhouse122682100110